The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1887-04-21

vast amount of gingerbread style in
bronze, but that has been removed, and
an artistic wreath of laurel and bunch of
palm encircling the soldiers sword is
now the only piece of bronze about the
pedestal, and this rests gracefully at the
base.
The chiseling of Garfield's coat has
caused great deal of remark, but the
tailors, who are perhaps as we'll able to
Judge of coats in marble as coats in cloth,
pronounce 1t excellent.
l once overheard three professional
gentlemen of the tailoring fraternity
standing before the statue of ex-Sena-
tor and Judge Jacob Coleman, of Yer
mont, discussing the fit of his coat
Look" said one of them, show that
sleeve is put in" pointing to the right
arm. "Why, it would be impossible for
man to get his arm in the sleeve-hole
as is cut in that coat" "Yes," remarked
the second, "look at the seam down the
back; why, tailor who would make
such coat as that would die of starva-
tion in six months" The third was
standing in front of the statue and said,
"Come, look how the buttons are sewed
on; why, l think the whole coat must
have been made by tinker, rather than
tailor" and the three laughed heartily
and passed on, when they criticised the
pants of the statue of poor Abraham Lin
coin which the government paid $4,000
to Winnie Ream to make.
A good deal of criticism has been d.
rected at the statue of George Washing
ton, because of the smallness of his head
in comparison with his body, but 1t is
said that the statue is mathematically and
physically correct, though it has very
queer appearance.
Perhaps the most interesting things in
the Statusry Hall to tourists are the echo
stones. There are number of these
blocks in the Marble Hall, and a peculi-
arity is that If a person stands on one
block and friend on the corresponding
one, a whisper can be distinctly heard
from one by the other; and the strangest
part of 1t Is that the sound seems to come
from the cellar on one stone and from
the ceiling on the other. A great deal of
discussion has been caused by people who
claim to be the first discoveries of these
stones. There are two guides now at
tuc SdpIIOl WIN CldIAu tAnt tuCy WCtO tuC
first who discovered them; but their pre-
tensions are only accepted BY the people
they show through the building, charging
fifty cents an hour for information.
The story of how they were first dis
covered dates back between thirty and
forty years. 1t was when the House met
in the old hail. One of the members was
the present Civil Service Commissioner
Edgerton. He had just been sworn In
and taken his seat In the House. Two
other gentlemen happened to be sitting
in the same relative position, only on the
other side of the House. He did
not notice that they were conversing
together, but suddenly he changed his
chair and his body rested directly over
one of the echo stones. 1t happened that
one of the gentlemen on the other side
was sitting over the corresponding one
One of the gentlemen, looking ovel
toward Edgerton, remarked: "Who II
| that old man sitting over there with the
white hair (Mr. Edgerton's hair has beer
white for some years.. l have great
curiosity to know who he is" continued
the new member. Mr.. Edgerton haG
heard every word. He noticed two mer
conversing and pointing toward him
He rose in his seat and spoke in a subduet
voice. "If the gentleman wants to know
who am, will tell him." Then he tolC
his name. The two members on the othe
side of the hall were thunder-struck, ant
came over to inquire how he had hear(
their remark. He could not explain ex
cept that he believed their voices camt
from the cellar, and he thought If they
really wanted to know who he was hi
would tell them. They were mystifiet
for long while, but soon after the true
nature of the stones was discovered.
Many little whispered messages fly
backward and forward between bridei
and grooms and loving couples as they
stand over these stones, and are told tt
whisper to each other. These are few
of the tales of the Statusry Hall.